Why does science fiction love extra breasts so much? Blame Douglas Adams, who threw in a reference to the triple-breasted whore Eccentrica Gallumbits (The Best Bang since the Big One) in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Then William Shatner and Paul Verhoeven got their hands on the concept. Star Trek V, Shatner's directorial debut and swansong, features a three-breasted cat dancer (above) who wrestles Captain Kirk.

Who put the -stan in Afghanistan? We can thank the Proto-Indo-Europeans. These folks spoke the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE), a prehistoric Eurasian language that linguists have reconstructed. The PIE root, stā-, or “stand,” found its way into many words in the language’s various descendants. The Russian -stan means “settlement,” and other Slavic languages use it to mean “apartment” or “state.” In English, the root was borrowed to make “stand,” “state,” “stay” and other words. The ancient Indo-Iranian peoples — descendants of Proto-Indo-Europeans who moved east and south from the Eurasian steppe – used it to mean “place” or “place of.” It’s this meaning that’s used for the names of the modern -stan countries, which got it through linguistic descent (Urdu and Pashto, the respective official languages of Pakistan and Afghanistan, both descend from the Indo-Iranian language), or by adopting it (the former Soviet -stan countries have historically been mostly ethnically Turkic and speak languages from the Turkic family).Afghanistan is the “Land of the Afghans.” Afghan has historically referred to the Pashtun people, the country’s largest ethnic group.Kazakhstan is the “Land of the Kazakhs.” Kazakh is derived from a Turkic word meaning “independent.”Kyrgyzstan is the “Land of the Kyrgyz.” The etymology of Kyrgyz is murky, but it is usually said to be derived from the Turkic word for “forty,” in reference to forty clans that banded together.Pakistan means “Land of the Pure” in Urdu (from the Indo-Iranian pak, or “pure/clean”), but that’s a convenient coincidence. The country’s name was constructed as an acronym in the 1930s, referring to the area’s constituent cultures: Punjabi + Afghani + Kashmiri + Sindhi + Balochistan (and an extra i thrown in to aid pronunciation).Tajikistan is the “Land of the Tajiks.” Tajik was used historically by Turks to refer to “non-Turks” that spoke Iranian-related languages.Turkmenistan is the “Land of the Turkmen.” Older sources explain that Turkmen means “Turk-like” or “resembling a Turk,” while more modern sources interpret it as “pure Turk” or “most Turk-like.”Uzbekistan is the “Land of the Uzbeks.” Uzbek is said to either come from Uzbek Khan, a tribal leader who united different groups in the region, or a combination of Turkic words meaning “his own master.”

Next Monday China celebrates National Day as the country prepares for a political transition, one that will see the new leaders taking the helm of perhaps the world's most dynamic society. It seems an opportune time to look at life in 中国, the Middle Kingdom. Change and progress have come at a dizzying pace in the last couple of decades, making the People's Republic of China politically, culturally, economically, and militarily a power player on the world stage. Many issues challenge the incoming government. A territorial dispute with Japan over some islands off Taiwan is opening old wounds from WWII. A corruption and murder scandal involving a high ranking official comes at an embarrassing time. And the country's juggernaut economy finds itself in the 11th straight month of stagnation. But at the same time, an increasingly colorful society celebrates the continued vibrant awakening transforming the largest population in the world. Gathered here are images providing a glimpse of life from many parts of the country, including Hong Kong - which has now been under mainland control for 15 years.

Fukushima, Japan, 2011 – The large, Godzilla-like aquatic creature that has appeared off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, was described by Tokyo Electric Power Co. chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata as a ”purely natural phenomenon” entirely unconnected to the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. His assessment was subsequently confirmed by Japanese governmental authorities. However, Godzilla first appeared in 1954 – with the nuclear bombings/testing still fresh in the Japanese consciousness.

Sure she wore the gold bikini, but apparently that was as close as Carrie Fisher got to wearing a bra in Star Wars. The way she tells it, Lucas wouldn’t let her wear a bra during shooting. Why? Believe it or not he actually had a completely nerdy, scientific reason for it.

Here’s how Princess Leia says Lucas explained it: "He explained that in space you get weightless, and so your flesh expands. What? But your bra doesn't, so you get strangled by your bra. That’s why I couldn’t wear a bra in the first Star Wars."

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bitten into a birthday cake and thought to myself, “Hmm, needs more mayonnaise.” If this is Mrs. Filbert’s (early 1940's mad yoke of the food world) idea of a product innovation, then clearly there aren’t many brain cells hiding behind that beautiful, sexy smile of hers or could be early signs of madness

I just discovered this important info! It's not the food that makes me fat!

I don't know why I didn't figure this out sooner! It is the shampoo I use in the shower! When I wash my hair in the shower the shampoo runs down my whole body and DUH!!!! Printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning, "For Extra Volume and Body". No wonder I can't lose weight easily!

I have gotten rid of that shampoo and I am going to start using Dawn dish soap instead. It's label reads, " Dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove".

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